smokerblog

Eagle Eye

We spent this past weekend at my parent's house enjoying the warm (and wet and muddy) spring weather. The dogs had some fun (and wet and muddy) exercise, and I was able to drive around some of the lesser-travelled (and wet and muddy) roads to snag some pictures. (Don't hold your breath waiting for me to get them developed.)

Saturday night we got to visit with some old friends (hi Ann!) and learned about a groovy board game: Eagle Eye Agency. Not only were we able to enjoy the company of friends, but the game was also a welcome contrast to the fierce competitions of ping-pong and pinochle I had been engaged in all day with my dad and brothers.

See, the Eagle Eye Agency is a "cooperative" board game. You still divide up into teams, but the teams all work together to reach a common goal, which in this case is to solve a crime. At the begining of the game, you choose a crime to solve and then travel around the board (a map of Big City) collecting clues, debating their relevance and red-herring-ishness, and eventually agreeing on a scenario on which to base an accusation. Think of it as a game of Clue where everybody shares their information, but the crime is much more complex than just "Professor Plum in the Library with the Candlestick." (Who would ever try to commit a murder with a candlestick, anyway?)

Part of the fun lies in the goofiness of the clues and crime scenarios. Mike and Seth presented their theory that the game was actually created by Canadian stoners, possibly during late-night dorm room conversations. This theory is supported by the convoluted solution to our case, which if it were a real-life scenario, the expense involved in committing the crime would likely far exceed the rewards of pulling it off. This isn't a complaint, though. It's part of the charm.